‘Well, it’s too much of a coincidence that all the deceased have been spiritualists of one sort or another, so the motive must be related somehow to that. Personally, I’d say Millennial Dawn have declared war on their peers, and given your experiences of them it sounds perfectly plausible, although from what you’ve told me of their customs, the reasoning behind it won’t bear much relation to common sense, so it probably isn’t worth trying to guess. As for Mardell, he could be the killer or just a pawn, but the latest victim was a member of the society White runs, so maybe he was there to scope out their next target.’

‘Or he’s just a confused but harmless member of a disparate sect.’

‘His elbow didn’t feel harmless when it connected with my face,’ Hawkins reminded him. ‘And it wasn’t an isolated incident, either. White saw Mardell a few days ago, at his local tube station.’

Whiting shrugged. ‘So Mardell works nearby, and stopped to glare because he’s jealous of the competition’s HQ.’

‘I’m sensing you aren’t completely convinced.’

‘I’m just playing devil’s advocate.’ He spread his hands. ‘Because I’m not hearing much in the way of compelling evidence.’

‘Then why run?’ she fired back. ‘And why go to such desperate lengths to escape once cornered? People only panic like that when they have something to hide.’

‘Having something to hide doesn’t make you a murderer, though, does it?’ Her host began to rise. ‘Anyway, Chief Inspector, I wish you all the best with your investigation.’

Hawkins stayed sitting. ‘That’s it?’

‘I’ve confirmed your prisoner’s identity, given you more information than I was obliged to offer.’ Whiting’s head tilted. ‘You were hoping for more?’

‘Actually, yes. Without proof that Mardell’s involved in some sort of illegal activity, I can’t hold on to him past this afternoon, which means I’ll be putting a potential murderer back on the street.’

His expression darkened. ‘And my part in averting this would be what, exactly?’

‘Arrest the leaders,’ she suggested. ‘Let me interview them. We’ll play them off against each other, confirm that they’re aggressive towards members of rival groups. Once Mardell realizes his peers are in custody, he’ll assume the game’s up and tell us what we want to know.’

‘Arrest the leaders,’ Whiting repeated. ‘I’m afraid, Chief Inspector, it isn’t that simple. Even if you’re right, and all this has something to do with Mardell’s spiritualist beliefs, we have no proof that any members of Millennial Dawn were complicit in making the bomb found at Stonehenge, and certainly nothing that suggests they’re involved in your murders.’ He motioned towards the door. ‘I think this meeting is over.’

Hawkins buzzed out of Scotland Yard, dumped her pass in her bag and retrieved her phone as she walked towards the car.